The Crucible (4 of 4)

Quote 1
“Elizabeth: Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. With a tender smile for the old man: They say he give them but two words. “More weight,” he says. And died.”
I like this quote because it shows how we think of others in comparison to ourselves. As human beings we tend to look at how others are either better or worse than us. With this, Proctor determines those who don’t speak are better than he, and from that he is willing to confess. While this is true, we see at the end of the book that he is in fact just as good as those around him.

Quote 2:
“... say what you will, but my name cannot—

Danforth, with suspicion: It is the same is it not? If I report it or you sign it?

Proctor—he knows it is insane: No, it is not the same! What others say and what I sign to is not the same!”
I really liked this chapter. It tells a lot about human nature as we see the character of John Proctor be twisted and bent almost until breaking. However, this is a really good point that he brings out. The importance of a name, and the importance of what you sign to. You can say something but if you sign your name, your words are set in stone so to speak. The difference is your identity. Seeing your name on a piece of paper takes what you have meant for others’ ears and reflects it back to you. Proctor cannot handle this in his decision and shudders that others should see it. He therefore later rips the paper and decides to hang, shattering the mirror and breaking the lie he had set in ink.